Maternal Bonding Not Linked to Breastfeeding – New Study Suggests

New mothers who are unable to breastfeed and worry that it will have a negative effect on bonding with their newborn baby, may not need to be concerned, new research finds.

Researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, conducted a study of over 3,000 new mothers and found that there was no relationship between any feeding method, including breastfeeding and maternal bonding with babies from 0 to 3 years of age.

A large sample size of 3,080 mothers was recruited from online parenting forums and Facebook, and the study found that there was no difference in the bonding experience of breastfed babies and those fed by other means.

The research follows earlier work conducted in Israel from 2019 that produced similar findings, but from a much smaller sample size.

Abigail Davis, the report’s author and PHD student at the University of Lincoln, said:

“Studies regarding the mother-child relationship and feeding methods have yielded mixed results and are often complicated by social and scientific assumptions about breastfeeding and mother-infant bonding.

“A large amount of the current literature is based on the idea that breastfeeding facilitates bonding, and these assumptions have informed public health policies and public opinion.

“Our study aligns with the few well-powered empirical studies which do not show this association.

“Despite these findings, it should be recognised that breastfeeding is very important for many other reasons and should still be encouraged where possible. This is for both health reasons for mum and baby, and because so many new mothers wish to breastfeed and feel unsupported in their journey, which can be disheartening.

“However, if a mother chooses not to, or cannot, breastfeed, we did not find evidence to suggest that their relationship with their child would be affected.”

It is well known that sensitive caregiving benefits babies throughout their lives. However, this research suggests that the mode of feeding may not be as key to bonding as previously thought. Responsive bottle feeding”, where parents engage in close contact or skin to skin with their baby whilst feeding, may be a way to ensure closeness and sensitivity when breastfeeding isn’t possible.